


The More You Love Someone......

by Supersinger9000



Category: The Amazing World of Gumball
Genre: Enemies to Lovers, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-06-17
Updated: 2019-03-11
Packaged: 2019-05-24 15:52:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 3,942
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14957579
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Supersinger9000/pseuds/Supersinger9000
Summary: ......The more you want to kill them. Shortly after "The Ex" Gumball realizes that he has romantic feelings for his arch nemesis, but his feelings for Penny hasn't gone away either. So Gumball has to grapple with his feelings and try to make sure that no one gets hurt in the process.





	1. Chapter 1

Gumball sat in his room listening to “I Vow” on his boombox. He couldn’t understand it, his plan worked, Rob was his nemesis again. So why didn’t he feel happy? Darwin came in the room in the middle of his moping and said “Uh oh, sitting alone in your room listening to a sad song on the boombox? That’s never a good sign. But I thought everything worked out between you and Penny, did the message on Alan not work?” 

“No, it did. I got everything I wanted.” Gumball said sadly. Darwin picked up on this. He knew his brother way to well, so he was pretty sure he knew what was going on here. He decided to tread lightly though, in case he was wrong. 

“But maybe what you thought you wanted isn’t the same thing as what you actually wanted?” Darwin guessed. Gumball nodded. “And what you really wanted wasn’t for Rob to be your nemesis again?” Gumball thought about it for a bit and eventually nodded again, that did seem like the most likely reason for his feelings. Darwin sighed, it was time to just come out and say it. “I figured it was something like that. Look Gumball, I think you have feelings for Rob. More than nemesis type feelings.” 

“What? No! Of course I don’t!” Gumball shouted. Darwin rolled his eyes. 

“Oh come on Gumball, it’s so obvious. You get excited every time he texts you, you follow him around whenever you run into him at the mall, and you talk about him all the time!” 

“That doesn’t mean anything!” Gumball insisted.

“Dude, you’re even listening to the same song that you played for him on our porch!” 

“You heard that, huh?” Gumball said sheepishly.

“Of course I did, it’s a small house.” Darwin said. Of course, he and Penny had also watched them from the window wondering what was going to happen, but Darwin didn’t mention that part. “Why won’t you just admit that you like him?” 

“I can’t like him! I’m in love with Penny! You know, my girlfriend?”

“You know, you can have a crush on two people at the same time. It’s not unheard of.” 

“But if I really had a crush on him, I would know about it!”

“Not necessarily, remember when you first met Penny? You kept denying that you liked her, even to yourself. You kept saying that fourth graders didn’t like girls.”

“So, what? I don’t know my own feelings?” 

“No, I think you do, deep down. But whenever you don’t want to deal with something you go into denial mode and pretend like it’s not happening. You do it a lot, and it’s not healthy.”  Gumball tried to rebuff him but he found that he was unable to do so. Was he really that denial crazy? 

“Ok, so maybe I have a bit of a denial issue, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that I like Rob. What with his stupid hexagonal face and those stupid traps that don’t even work even though he puts a lot of effort into them and it makes me feel special, and he never smiles! He never smiles so the very few times he does you can tell that he means it and oh god.” 

“I know this isn’t the right time to say “I told you so” but, I told you so.” 

“But I still like Penny! My feelings for her haven’t changed! Ugh, what am I gonna do!” 

“Honestly? I’m not sure. This is a complicated situation here. But I suggest you figure it out before someone gets hurt.” 

“I don’t want anyone to get hurt! I didn’t ask for these feelings!” 

“I know. You know when I said “someone” that includes you too.” Darwin told him. Gumball sighed. 

“It doesn’t matter anyways, he hates me anyway. Just like I wanted.” Gumball put his head in his hands and took a deep breath. “Alright, whatever. The best thing to do would be to just forget about this whole thing. Penny is my girlfriend and Rob is my nemesis, that’s how it’s supposed to be.” 

“I don’t think it’s a good idea to deny your feelings like that.” 

“I’m sure they’ll go away eventually.”

“Gumball, no. You’re doing it again. You’re going back into denial.”

“Well, it’s worked out ok for me in the past, hasn’t it?” 

“Not really.”  

“Well, i’m not going to wreck a perfectly good relationship for these weird feelings that might not even mean anything!” Darwin sighed, he knew this wasn’t going to work out, but it seemed there was no convincing Gumball otherwise. There never was when it came to Gumball. 


	2. Chapter 2

Gumball was out on a date with Penny for the first time since his big revelation, and he was a little bit sick to his stomach. He usually looked forward to and really enjoyed his dates with Penny, but now it almost felt wrong to keep going out with her when he knew he had a crush on someone else as well. He tried to rationalize it to himself, he still loved Penny, despite his new feelings, they were the same great couple that they’d always been, it wasn’t like he was actually cheating on her. Gumball Watterson was many things, but he was not a cheater. 

“Gumball, are you ok?” Penny asked, interrupting his train of thought. Gumball blinked and shook his head trying to clear the cobwebs in his brain. 

“Yeah, I’m fine, just lost in thought for a while there.” Gumball said dismissively. Penny gave him a concerned look but didn’t say anything. Gumball brought up another topic and the date went back on track. After talking with Penny for a while his worries started to ease up and he actually started to enjoy himself again. He was in the middle of telling Penny a funny story about a crazy adventure that happened to him the other week when he happened to glance out the window and see Rob across the way standing in line to get a coffee. His words died in his throat. Oh no, why was he here? He had finally managed to get this date back on track, he was going to ruin everything! 

“So? Then what happened?” Penny asked. 

“Uhhh….” Gumball said. His mind had gone blank and he was incapable of forming words. A blush crept up his cheeks and his heartbeat quickened. So, he wasn’t imagining it, he really did have a crush on him. Crap. 

“Gumball what are you staring at?” Penny asked, leaning over to try to get a glance out the window. 

“No don’t look there!” Gumball shouted while trying to block her view. Penny gave him a confused look. “I mean….why look there when there’s a much better view over there!” Gumball said while trying to pull Penny away from the window. 

“Gumball what are you-?” Penny started to say. At that moment Rob happened to glance their way. Gumball gave a little screech and dove under the table, just missing Rob’s line of sight. He didn’t want to risk Rob seeing him. What if he wanted to talk? He couldn’t handle that right now, not until he got his feelings sorted out. “What are you doing under the table?” 

“Just…..inspecting it! Yeah. Just looking for gum and stuff. I mean, you don’t want to sit at a gummy table right?” Gumball said, forcing a laugh. Penny wasn’t buying it, not even for a second. She knew Gumball pretty well by now, she could tell when he was lying. Gumball kept peeking above the table to see if Rob had left. Curse that infernally slow coffee line! 

“Ok Gumball, seriously, what is going on with you? What do you keep looking at?” Penny shouted as she forced herself toward the window despite Gumball’s interference and growing protests. 

“No, no don’t!” Gumball shouted. But it was too late, she could already see out the window, and she could take a pretty good guess about what was making him act so crazy. 

“Gumball, are you trying to avoid Rob again?” Penny asked. Gumball sighed, there was no point in lying to her, she could already see right through him. 

“Yes.” Gumball admitted. Now Penny sighed. 

“Look, I don’t want to mean or come between your nemesis-ship or whatever, but this is getting a little out of hand. I think we need to have a talk.” Gumball nodded. He knew deep down that he couldn’t hide this from Penny. Between her and Darwin he was pretty much an open book to the people who knew him well. His plan was pretty much doomed to fail. Most of his plans were. 

“Yeah, I think you’re right.”


	3. Chapter 3

Gumball and Penny both left the mall pretty much immediately after that. Penny was right, they needed to talk and they didn’t want to do it in a public place where just about anyone could hear them. They decided to go to Gumball’s house. If they went to Penny’s then her dad would just eavesdrop and use everything that Gumball said against him, at least his family would  _ pretend _ to give them some space. (Yes, Gumball knew that his family would eavesdrop on him whenever he was having a serious conversation. They weren’t very stealthy and he would often join them whenever it was one of his siblings on the other side of the door.) They were in Gumball’s room when Penny took a deep breath and began her spiel. 

“Look Gumball, I don’t want to be the bad guy here. I never wanted to be that girlfriend who would control who her boyfriend hangs out with, and I know that you and Rob have a….complicated history. But even you have to admit that there’s something weird going on between the two of you.” 

“I know, I ignored you when I was trying to get him to hate me again. I’m sorry and I shouldn’t have done that. But I was only avoiding him today because I didn’t want him to see me and interrupt our date. I didn’t think you would have a good time if he tried to destroy me or something. I was only thinking of you!” Gumball said. He wasn’t exactly telling the truth but who knows what would happen if she found out about his crush. He couldn’t lose Penny, he just couldn’t. Penny gave a deep sigh. 

“Gumball…….you and I both know that’s not true.” Penny said. Silence hung in the air for a bit until Gumball got up the courage to say what came next. 

“Well, maybe it isn’t exactly the whole truth.” Gumball admitted. 

“What’s going on Gumball?” Penny asked softly, as if she was afraid of his answer. 

“I’m not quite sure myself. I’m trying to sort out my feelings and everything’s just really complicated right now……” 

“But you do have feelings for him?” Penny asked. Gumball froze, this was it, the moment of truth. He would be lucky if Penny ever talked to him again after this. 

“........Yes.” He whispered. It was barely audible, but Penny heard it. She didn’t say anything but tears sprung in the corners of her eyes and spilled down her cheeks. Gumball’s heart dropped, he hated it when someone he loved cried, especially if he was the one who caused it. 

“I’m so sorry Penny. I never meant to hurt you.” Gumball said, by now he was crying too. “I didn’t mean for this to happen. I still love you, that hasn’t changed.”  Penny wiped her tears away and started talking again. 

“I know you didn’t mean to.” Penny said, and she meant it. She could tell how much Gumball cared about her. He wasn’t the kind of person who would hurt her on purpose. “You can’t control how you feel about someone.” Penny took another deep breath, this was probably the hardest thing she’s ever had to say. “But I think we need a little space while you sort out your feelings.” It tore her apart to say that, she loved Gumball, and she knew he loved her too, despite his new feelings, but she knew that it was the right thing to do. 

“Penny no! I promise that I’ll never talk to Rob again! Just don’t leave me! Please!” Gumball pleaded, her words broke his heart in two. He was willing to do anything to get her back. He couldn’t bear to lose her.

“That’s no solution.” Penny said. “If you would truly be happier with him I don’t want to hold you back.” 

“I wouldn’t! I promise I wouldn’t.”

“I’m sorry Gumball.” Penny said. She then walked out the door and headed home, leaving Gumball frozen in place. Now that the door was open he could see Darwin standing outside of it agast. At least his whole family wasn’t eavesdropping this time. Darwin went over and gave his brother a hug and Gumball burst into tears.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh man, this was hard to write. I'm sorry Penny! You'll find a great guy someday! You're still so young!


	4. Chapter 4

Rob was just finishing up his newest trap for Gumball. His heart wasn’t really in it anymore, he still wanted to quit being his nemesis. But going up to Gumball and telling him that his last outburst was a one time thing and he was quitting again just seemed like a douchy thing to do. So, here he was. He made sure that the trap wouldn’t kill Gumball, or even hurt him really. It would just trap him. And even then he was pretty sure that Gumball would be able to get out of it. He managed to get out of many increasingly crazy scenarios before, this probably wouldn’t even phase him. Which was exactly what he was hoping for. 

He finished up the trap and hid when he saw Gumball coming. He looked uncharacteristically sad, Rob noticed. Things didn’t usually get to Gumball that often. He would usually brush everything off and make a sarcastic quip about it. The only time he saw him truly upset was that day at the mall, when he destroyed everyone he loved. Rob tried to shake away that image. It didn’t matter, he reminded himself, it didn’t even technically happen. Still, he did wonder what happened to make Gumball so sad. He didn’t expect to feel as sorry for him as he did, but he was a pretty prominent figure in his life so he guessed it made sense. He watched as Gumball slid into the trap without even changing his expression, it would’ve been almost comical if it didn’t seem so sad. Rob jumped out of the bush he was hiding behind and said “Ah ha! You have fallen for my trap!” He was totally phoning it in, but luckily Gumball didn’t seem to notice. He was too busy having a small freak out. Rob was the  _ last _ person he wanted to see today. 

“Can we just not do this right now?” Gumball asked. Rob dropped the villain act, he could tell that something was really wrong. 

“How come? You ok?” He asked. Gumball was surprised that Rob actually seemed willing to drop it, so he answered him, hoping to convince him even further. 

“It’s just…..my girlfriend broke up with me and I’m just not in the mood, ok?” This surprised Rob, as whenever he saw them together they looked like the perfect couple. What could have caused her to break up with him? Of course, he only ever saw them from a distance, maybe there was some secret friction between them that he didn’t know about. 

“Oh, sorry man.” Rob said. He didn’t really know what to say in this situation. He wasn’t very good at comforting people, and he didn’t technically have friends for the past few years so his already lackluster social skills had only gotten worse. 

“So, are you going to let me out now or what?” Gumball asked. 

“Fine, it’s no fun anyways without you trying to fight back.” Rob grumbled. He pretended to be mad about this to keep up appearances but secretly he was thrilled to be off of villain duty for a while. He went over to let Gumball out of the trap and Gumball was just about to be on his way when he heard Rob say “So, since we’re not fighting today, did you want to go get ice cream or something? Isn’t that what you’re supposed to do when someone breaks up with you?” Gumball was thrown by the offer. His mind started screaming at him  _ “don’t do it Gumball! You just broke up with Penny, hanging out with Rob would be a bad idea!”  _ But his curiosity overrode his common sense, as it had so often done before. 

“I wouldn’t know, this is my first break up.” Gumball said. “But why not?”  _ “Nooooo!”  _ His brain shouted “ _ Gumball Watterson, you are such an idiot!”  _ Gumball was forced to agree. 


	5. Chapter 5

Gumball was sitting across from Rob, working on his ice cream sundae, as awkward silence enveloped the two of them. I mean, what do you even talk about when you were trying to destroy each other just a few days before? Of course, Gumball’s little crush on the guy that he just recently became aware of didn’t help the situation at all. “So…...um….” Rob started to say, causing Gumball to look up from his ice cream. “Did you want to talk about it? The breakup I mean?” Gumball cast his eyes back downward. 

“Not really, no.” he mumbled. Rob nodded and the awkward silence returned. 

“Well, whatever happened, I’m sure you two will work it out. I mean, you two were like, made for each other.”  _ Literally, _ Rob thought. He was pretty sure that this breakup wasn’t going to last. It was probably some last ditch attempt by the writers to create some drama and boost the ratings a bit. They would probably be back together by the end of the season, whenever that would be. Gumball and Penny were clearly the endgame couple, everyone could see that. 

“Thanks, but I don’t think so. I really messed up this time.” Gumball said. 

“Whatever it is you did, it couldn’t have been that bad.” Rob told him. Gumball was confused as to why he was sticking up for him. Didn’t he hate him? Of course, that was partially his fault as he kept pestering him to be his nemesis again. God, how could he have gotten his feelings so mixed up? 

“Why do you care anyways? I thought you hated me.” 

“It’s…..It’s complicated.” Rob said simply. He wished he could tell him what happened with the remote, but he would never believe him. And even if he did, that didn’t necessarily mean that their short lived friendship would be restored. How could Gumball possibly forgive him after everything that he did to him? He sure wouldn’t if their positions had been reversed. “I used to hate you, but I don't think I do anymore. You’re actually quite hard to hate.” Gumball smiled a bit at this. 

“I don’t even know why you started hating me to be honest.” He told him. 

“That’s….also complicated.” Rob said. If he couldn’t tell Gumball about what happened with the remote, he didn’t know how to begin describing the void. Gumball gave him a strange look. 

“And why did you stop? No, wait, let me guess, ‘it's complicated?’”

“Pretty much, yeah.”

“Can you tell me anything?” Gumball asked, half joking, half not.

“I can tell you what my favorite flavor of ice cream is.” Rob offered as he held up his bowl of mint chocolate chip. 

“That’s a very poor compromise.” Gumball said.

“Why do you care anyways? It’s not like we’re friends.” Rob mumbled. Gumball’s face fell. He was right, they weren’t friends, and Gumball couldn’t answer the question without giving himself away. 

“Why do you care about my breakup? If we’re not friends.” Gumball shot back. Rob froze, it was his own tactic used against him, and he didn’t have a good answer either. The two were at a standstill for a while until Gumball finally decided to break it. 

“Well…...maybe we’re not friends, but we are nemesis, and most villains don’t usually keep their pasts so secret. Heck, most of them do a whole monologue about it.” Gumball said, trying to relieve the tension with a joke, but also trying to subtly let him know that if he wanted to unload about his past, it was ok with him. Rob was grateful for the tension break, that was getting awkward. 

“Well I tried but you cut me off.” Rob said in a lighthearted tone so Gumball would know that he wasn’t mad, but instead Gumball just looked confused. 

“What?” He asked. Oh crap! He forgot that Gumball couldn’t remember that!

“Nevermind.” Rob said quickly. Quick, change the topic. Change the topic! “Besides, I’m not taking any more advice from you about how to be a villain.” 

“Yeah, that’s probably for the best.” Gumball admitted, letting the previous comment go. Maybe he accidentally cut off a monologue of his and he didn’t know about it. He did tend to get stuck inside his head sometimes and that sometimes made it hard for him to tell when other people were talking. 

“So, why did you try to make me the villain anyways? Why do  _ you _ hate  _ me _ ?” Rob asked. Gumball took a deep breath.

“Rob, I don’t hate you. I just wanted you to be my nemesis again. I liked having a nemesis to fight, it made me feel like….like a hero. I know I’m not perfect, I know I screw things up a lot, but if I was stopping you it made me feel like at least I was doing some good. That I was doing something right. And when you decided to quit I’ll admit that my pride was hurt as well, I mean, who would want Banana Joe when you could have me, right?” Gumball attempted to joke, but it fell flat. Rob went through a bunch of different emotions after hearing that. A part of him was a little annoyed that he coerced him into being his nemesis again just because he felt bad about himself, but mostly he was surprised. Gumball seemed so confident, almost to the point of being cocky, it was hard to believe that he was hiding so much insecurity. Now Rob wondered how much of that confidence was just an act. 

“Is that all I am to you? Just some random guy to fight?” Rob asked. Gumball could’ve laughed. If only that’s all he was, it would make things so much easier. Did he really not know how much he meant to him? 

“Maybe at first.” He admitted. “But not anymore. I do kinda like hanging out with you.” Now that was an understatement. “I wouldn’t have tried to get you back if I didn’t. I would’ve just moved on, I would’ve found a new nemesis.” 

“So…..you wanted to be my nemesis again because you  _ like _ me?” Rob said, trying to make sense of this. 

“Twisted logic, I know. But I can’t really explain how my mind works.” Gumball admitted. 

“So if I don’t hate you and you don’t hate me, do you think we could try to be friends again?” Rob asked with some slight hesitation in his voice. Gumball considered it. Did he really want to be friends with Rob again? It didn’t so well last time. Of course, that was mostly his fault. Maybe it would be ok if he could just keep it casual. Just call him Casual Gumball, no weird feelings here. No sir. 

“Alright, friends.” Gumball agreed. 


End file.
